This is part 2 of our episode with Joe Gray. He’s the founder of the Garage Gym Competition, Moderator of r/HomeGym on Reddit, and has been blogging about his home gym and strength training experiences for quite some time.
The discussion can be listened to on Spotify, Apple, Anchor, and should be anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Also, simply click on the timestamps in each section if you want to hear something specific.
(00:12) You’ve had a home gym for quite some time now, when did you officially start a home gym?
Back in 2013, Joe started his garage gym as an experiment, and only once or twice a week before he went out and spent a ton of money. He also explains the primary reason for starting a home gym after going to a commercial gym for years.
(4:41) When did you start blogging about your home gym experiences?
Joe realized that he enjoyed the benefits of writing as he pursued his Masters’s Degree. This ultimately led to him blogging about something he was a little more interested in, which was his time in the gym.
(7:48) Can you explain your involvement with Home Gym Reddit?
Joe had been on Reddit since his college days and it ultimately led him to get involved with this group as his interests evolved. The number of members was about 40x smaller than it is today.
(9:07) What does r/home gym look like these days?
The two main discussion points were Rogue and Titan in the early days, but have slowly evolved over time just as the home gym scene has. There are over 400k followers these days and it serves as a valuable service to many looking for home gym advice. In this section we also discuss our commercial gym experiences, the term “home gym” vs. “garage gym,” and more.
(21:55) What was the original idea behind the Garage Gym Competition?
It was a simple idea that Joe simply took action on.
(23:08) How it started and what did year 1 look like?
It started with a flyer, personal Instagram account, some flags, t-shirts, and other random prizes. Initial feedback was good though.
(25:33) What kind of growth have you seen since the first year?
From 80 to 200 to 1,200 competitors! Prizes each year dramatically improved each year as well. Joe also moved from Paint to Photoshop during this time….
(31:50) What type of people are doing this competition?
It is most guys and those between the ages of 25 and 44. In addition, while most are in the US, people from throughout the world compete.
(33:34) How’s the 2022 competition looking so far?
Juggernaut AI is the primary (and seemingly perfect) sponsor. Joe seems very optimistic about the turnout this year.
(40:57) When is the competition?
The spring competition begins May 14 and all lifts need to be accomplished by May 14. Also, it’s FREE!
The fall competition will take place in November.
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